Axle bearing lubricator



Sept. 1, 1936. w c SANDERS 2,052,897

AXLE BEARING LUBRICAIOR Filed July 20, 1935 aiented Sept. 1, i936 AXLE BEARING LUBRICATOR Walter C. Sanders, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Timken Roller Bearing Company, Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application July 20, 1935, Serial No. 32,360

2 Claims.

My invention relates to the lubrication of axle bearings particularly railway car locomotive and tender axle bearings of that type wherein the bearings are interposed between a rotatable axle housing on which the wheels are mounted and a normally stationary axle extending through said housing and having its ends mounted in a truck frame. The invention has for its object an efilcient lubrication of such bearings.

The invention consists principally in providing one or more bafile members at the end of the stationary bearing member of said bearing to divert to the bearing oil thrown thereagainst by the rotation of the axle housing. The invention further consists in the axle bearing lubricator and in the parts and combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification and wherein'like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of an axle bearing construction provided with lubricators embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a detail view of one of said lubricators,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 in Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of lubricator,

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of another modification, and

Fig. 6 is a detail view showing a modified form of the lubricator shown in- Fig. 4.

The accompanying drawing shows one end portion of a railway car axle construction including a tubular axle housing I provided with an enlarged portion 2 at each end on which is mounted a car wheel 3, and in which is kept a supply of lubricant for the bearing. An axle 4 extends through said axle housing and its projecting ends 5 are mounted in journal boxes 6, suitable plain bearing devices 1 being provided be-- tween each axle end and its journal box. The journal box ism'ounted in the usual frame member, not shown in the drawing.

Interposedbetween the axle 4 and the enlarged portion 2 of theaxle housing is a taper roller bearing B comprising a cone 8 or inner bearing member, a cup 9 or outer bearing member and conical rollers l0 between said bearing members. The inner bearing member is seated against a shoulder H on the axle 4. A closure ring l2 secured to the end of said housing as by screws I3 is provided with a sleeve portion l4 that abuts against the cup 9 to hold it in position. At the outer or small end of the bearing cone 8 is a spacer sleeve 15 that extends along the axle from said bearing cone 8 to the plain bearing member I in said journal box.

"In constructions of the kind above described, the axle 4 normally remains stationary, the axle housing I rotating. The lubrication of the bearings of this type of axle construction has presented a very serious problem due to the fact that the outer bearing member 9 and the tubular axle housings l and 2 rotate and the centrifugal 10 force resulting therefrom causes the lubricating oil to be spread in a layer of equal depth around the inside periphery of the housing 2; in which position the lubricating oil will not adequately lubricate the bearing cone, particularly the thrust rib thereof against which the large ends of the rollers abut. The present invention provides a simple, inexpensive and efficient device for properly lubricating such bearings.

On said spacer sleeve I5 is a ring IS on which are baiile blades ll which are concavely curved and which are arranged in pairs in V-form, with the point of the V disposed toward the bearing member. Thus, the bailles ll are disposed angularly with respect to the bearing axis and regardless of the direction of rotation of the axle housing, the oil that is carried around by centrifugal force during the rotaton of the housing will be trapped by the troughs of some of said baiiles l1 and will be directed thereonto the small end of the bearing cone. As is well known, taper roller bearings have a pumping action and oil received by the small ends of the rollers ID will lubricate said rollers and will work its way to the large end of the bearing where it will lubricate the thrust rib l8. The drawing illustrates a single pair of baiiles, each operating in one direction of rotation of the housing, but there may obviously be as many such bailies as are desired.

At the large end of the bearing is a. similar bafiie device for directing oil to the large ends of the rollers and the inner bearing member to assist in lubrication thereof. As shown in Fig. 1, said baflle members Ila are formed on a oounterbored ring that is mounted on the end of the bearing coneB, so that a portion 2| of the end face of said bearing cone between the axle shoulder and said ring is left exposed. By this arrangement, the portion 22 of the tubular axle housing that projects beyond the end wall of the enlarged wheel carrying portion 2 of said housing may be moved endwise against said bearing cone 8 to loosen or withdraw the bearings from the axle without abutting against or damaging said lubricating member.

In the construction shown in Fig. 4, the ring that carries the baflie blades "b at the large end of the bearing is mounted on the axle shoulder El, said baiiles being of difierent form from those of Figs. 1 and 2.

In Fig 5 is shown a modification wherein a ring til disposed at the small end of the hearing has arms M to each of which is secured a tubular batfle member 62 having its lower end 43 projecting into the oil supply so that oil is forced thereinto. and its upper end M terminating adjacent to the bearing rollers so as to feed oil thereto. At the large end of the bearing a ring M has arms 66 to which are secured tubes d7 whose upper ends open into the oil supply and which deliver oil to the thrust rib and the large ends of the rollers.

In Fig. 6, the ring; has pairs of spaced arms to which are secured open trough members 5!.

The above described construction is simple and inexpensive and it adequately lubricates bearings whose lubrication has hitherto been very diflicult.

Obviously, numerous changes in details of construction, as in the number, form and location of the baflles, may be made without departing from. the invention. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the precise construction shown and described.

What I claim is:

1. In an axle housing construction comprising a normally stationary axle, a rotary axle housing surrounding said axle and a roller bearing between said axle and said housing, a lubricating member comprising pairs of vanes arranged in V- form located at the end of the inner bearing member of said bearing with their points disposed towards said bearing member.

2. In an axle housing construction comprising a normally stationary axle, a rotary axle housing surrounding said axle and a roller bearing between said axle and said housing, a lubricating member comprising pairs of troughed vanes arranged in V-form located at the end of the inner 20 hearing member of said bearing with their points disposed towards said bearing member.

WALTER C. SANDERS. 

